Home > Maintenance & Mods (L322) > Front suspension air bag replacement |
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Joe90 Member Since: 29 Apr 2010 Location: Hampshire Posts: 6399 |
1. Drive it ?
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13th Aug 2017 12:40am |
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wayneg Member Since: 05 Jun 2013 Location: South Fremantle, Australia ( ex London ) Posts: 775 |
I have driven mine with a holed airbag for 2 weeks. Driver side front first went so drove whist waiting for replacement then after fitting the new strut the passenger side split immediately after the suspension pressurised so I highly recommend doing both unless you are sure the other is newish. The second weeks driving awaiting the second strut to arrive.
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13th Aug 2017 9:31am |
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Andyyav Member Since: 13 Mar 2017 Location: Norfolk Posts: 89 |
joe90 wayneg Thanks for the info,
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13th Aug 2017 1:03pm |
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doclees Member Since: 25 Jun 2015 Location: PA Posts: 672 |
Getting ready to replace mine. RAVE always makes it sound like things are easy and straight forward. My lineage must go back to Capt. Murphy. What major drama and injury should I prepare for? Is it best to lift both front sides? I made the stupid error just last month with doing my BMW front struts and was only lifting one side at a time. Is the track rod ball smaller than the control arm ball? My ball joint separator is only 3/4 inch wide and didn't fit. Needed 20mm. How tight do you make the air tube connection. 3.2 NM sure is much. Do they even make a torque device to measure that small?
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28th Nov 2017 12:45am |
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Joe90 Member Since: 29 Apr 2010 Location: Hampshire Posts: 6399 |
You don't need to have both sides up in the air, but as you will need to depressurise (unless you do the Storey Wilson valve block trick) you may as well drop the front onto its bump stops then get the whole front of the car in the air. You need weight on the wheels to help push all the air out of the air bag. I don't remember removing the track rod ends when I did mine.
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28th Nov 2017 10:44am |
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Weegie Member Since: 09 Jun 2014 Location: East Sussex Posts: 3192 |
^^+1
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28th Nov 2017 11:03am |
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doclees Member Since: 25 Jun 2015 Location: PA Posts: 672 |
Thanks guys. I have an impact gun and pipe extension for my ratchet. I'd be more worried getting it back on to that torque. Without a lift there always seems to be something in the way to be able to get your weight into it. I assume the iidtool can depressurize an individual strut enough to be able to drop it to disconnect the air line. Wouldn't that get any residual air out?. |
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28th Nov 2017 3:35pm |
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Joe90 Member Since: 29 Apr 2010 Location: Hampshire Posts: 6399 |
My experience has been that if you depressurise a corner while the wheel is in the air, the air bag remains inflated, though not under pressure. This is probably more of an issue with the rear bags than the front ones though. .
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28th Nov 2017 4:19pm |
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doclees Member Since: 25 Jun 2015 Location: PA Posts: 672 |
Well I dug into the air bag swap today. As usual i had help from Capt Murphy but just in a small way. First I took the advice from the iidtool instructions and deflated everything. Lifted just one side. I struggled with the end link nut because you need to access the shaft side from the forward side of the strut to get a solid grip. Once the nut was off it was obvious the sway bar was still stressing the end link so I lifted the other side and popped out the end link.
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2nd Dec 2017 5:20am |
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Cam-Tech-Craig Member Since: 04 Aug 2011 Location: Gloucestershire Posts: 16170 |
Spray the big bolts with some form of penetrating oil NOW then Tomorrow & the next day until you do the job... You have a much better chance if they ave already seized... I would bare the extra cost and change both at the same time with the Delphi option sir... MUCH safer that way Maybe change the rear shocks too (not a huge cost) that way you get 4 new shockers together |
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2nd Dec 2017 3:31pm |
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